April Magazine Round-Up: Fine Cooking

Wanting to know which dishes I made this month? Here’s my April Magazine Round-Up: Fine Cooking. Eight amazing dishes in 30 days.

Here we are again; it’s the end of the month and time to start transitioning from one set of magazines to another. This change is a strange thing for me.

While I’m excited to begin going through the new recipes sitting on the corner of my desk, the old friends are still here too. There are many tabs left behind. I’ve traveled the pages so well that I can tell you the exact page of many dishes, as well as the gist of the text surrounding them. And yet, it’s just about time for me to say good-bye.

When I put these round-ups together, sometimes I’m surprised at how many recipes I’ve actually made from a specific magazine. This is one of those times.

Everyone knows that I adore Fine Cooking, so maybe you expected an abundance of goodies coming from here, but I was a little shocked to find out that I reviewed eight recipes.

Ready to meander down memory lane with me as we do the April Magazine Round-Up: Fine Cooking?

Ah yes, April is National Grilled Cheese Month and this sandwich was my first ride on the national this or that bandwagon. I would have made it anyhow, you know. C’mon; cheese, bacon and guacamole? It would have been a crime not to.

Breakfast. Pardon the sigh of pleasure. Yes, this pizza is awesome for any meal, as well as a late night snack, but I love me a good savory breakfast and that’s the direction in which I went. It was awesome. Asparagus and eggs always are.

Ah yes, March madness that always bleeds into April. I forgot all about that. But I didn’t while it was going on and made these wings for Hubby while he monopolized the television in the family room to watch the games. I didn’t mind because I had fun listening to Dudette protest college basketball vehemently.

I remember this sandwich. I made it for lunch one day. We all chose different stuff to eat and no one wanted one of these after I described what was in them. Then I made both Dudette and Hubby have a taste of mine so I could at least get their opinion. I ended up in the kitchen making more. The combination was a huge success.

I will be eternally torn between whether I prefer a sweet glaze on ham or a more savory coating. I just don’t know. I do know that we really liked this one. It was fantastic as an Easter centerpiece but the glaze would be outstanding on thick pork chops too.

Swoon. I am a tagine fan. I don’t own one of the odd little pots, but I love them anyhow. I’ve made several of these Moroccan dishes, using my slow cooker or Dutch oven and they’ve been fantastic. This one was no different. I loved the addition of apricots and caramelized walnuts along with the garlic and chicken. Surprisingly, Dudette was as much a fan as Hubby and me.

Ah yes, those meals you make when no one else is home so you can just enjoy it instead of fielding all the complaints and whining of those with less sophisticated palates. That’s what I did with this dish. It was all me and just me. And it was delicious. The spinach and egg combination was fantastic, but it was put over the top as soon as I folded in the sour cream.

There you have it, friends. I’d say that it’s rare to have this many dishes without a single flop among them, but this is Fine Cooking and I’ve come to expect this level of yumminess from them. So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite? Was there one dish that made you run out and buy the ingredients so you could make it that night?

The Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Guacamole is totally calling my name. Your Cider Braised Ham is beautiful! I don't like to play favorites but I have an avocado and some peppered bacon beckoning to me at the moment. I may make a grilled cheese to brighten up Tay's day!

I am happy to say that I did fix two of these receipes and they were both awsome! The Grilled Cheese Bacon Guacamole sandwich. This one was why didn’t I think of that before. Then thanks go out to all for our Easter dinner of the Cider braised Ham. You were right the house smelt wonderful while it cooked, and the eating was great. My only complaint on this ham, was the bone cooked with beans later in the week, was not the best taste.

I think that Bacon Guac Grilled Cheese was my favorite. It was so, so good. I can understand why the second dish with the ham would have been odd. The magazine offered up a couple of ways to use the leftovers and they all mentioned removing the glaze before using the ham. That takes care of the glaze flavor (for the most part), but the ham and bone are infused with cider.

This article reminds me that I need to continue my search for a local store that bothers to carry Fine Cooking and still has the April issue! The quirky little chain of grocery stores that cater to this section of the midwest only seem to like only specific cooking magazines that are stereotypically midwestern or southern (though I don't get why people who live in a place that can get to the -20s in winter think they are so close to being southern!), and the library also failed to carry either Fine Cooking or Cuisine at Home. I need to try to get to the quirky little chain of bookstores that I've only seen in this corner of the midwest and that tend to keep their magazines on the shelf a good couple of weeks longer than everyone else. Maybe I can find a copy then! I really want the ham info, especially.